In response to actions and comments by
members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) regarding American
policy toward Haiti, the African-American leadership network
Project 21 endorsed a letter to Chairman Joel Hefley (R-CO) asking
the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct to conduct a formal investigation of the CBC.

The letter was originally sent on April
1, 2004 by the Brotherhood Organization for a New Destiny, a
family-focused, community-based organization in Los Angeles,
California founded by Project 21 member Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson.

The call for an investigation comes after
members of the CBC alleged the Bush Administration forced Haitian
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office and called Undersecretary
of State Roger Noriega a "Haiti-hater." Additionally,
the letter to Chairman Hefley calls attention to the CBC's apparent
close relationship to the former Aristide regime that included
several member trips to the island, former members lobbying of
behalf of the regime and recent appearances abroad with the deposed
Aristide.

The letter to Hefley states: "We
are seriously concerned about the inflammatory language and tone
of [the CBC's] accusations. By misinterpreting the truth about
what happened in the last few hours before [former Haitian president]
Aristide left office, these lawmakers are inciting hatred, suspicion
and possibly violence towards the White House, State Department
officials and the new administration in Haiti."

Reverend Peterson adds: "It's disturbing
that the Congressional Black Caucus is backing a corrupt and
brutal man like Aristide. Over the past decade, the United States
sent nearly $1 billion in aid to Haiti, yet it is still the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere. Why are black lawmakers up
in arms over the removal of this dictator?"

In particular, the request for an investigation
asks for the Committee to determine the exact nature of the relationship
between Aristide and the CBC and if current and former members
of the CBC, their families or associates have a financial or
political interest in the continuation of the Aristide regime.